Everton grimly seeking out new lows with outlandish start to 24/25 point-spaffing contest

The yin to our favourite stat’s yang. Or the other way round, we don’t know.

We all love seeing who’s got the most points from losing positions, but it’s quite literally impossible to look at those numbers without having to also see which silly sods have spaffed away the most points when leading.

There have only been two defeats from winning positions so far this season, and most teams are yet to get off the mark…

20) Everton – 6pts dropped
2 leads, 2 defeats

Oh mates. To lose one Premier League game 3-2 after leading 2-0 might be considered unlucky, to lose two consecutive Premier League games 3-2 after leading 2-0 is etc. and so forth. We remain in gobsmacked, bewildered awe that Everton managed to start the season by losing 3-0 to Brighton and 4-0 to Spurs yet have still contrived to have things get much, much worse from there.

19) Ipswich – 5pts
2 leads, 1 draw, 1 defeat

It’s a lot of points dropped at this very early stage but the flipside is that taking the lead in two games is also quite encouraging when you consider there are still a couple of teams yet to take the lead in any game this season at all.

The fact the defeat from a winning position came via a seventh-minute lead at Manchester City that was overturned in a predictable blink of an eye also means it’s not exactly one Ipswich should lose much sleep over.

18) Nottingham Forest – 4pts
4 leads, 2 win, 2 draws

They spaffed loads of points last season too but while concerns may still exist you’d imagine Forest would be wise for now to focus on a) the fact they’ve taken the lead in all four of the games, which is good and b) one of the leads they held on to was at Liverpool, which is very good.

17) Wolves – 3pts
1 lead, 1 defeat

Starting to look like it could be a long old season for Wolves as they became the latest side to be left scratching their heads and wondering how after a defeat to Newcastle.

16) Brentford – 3pts
3 leads, 2 wins, 1 defeat

Deserved home winners against Palace and Southampton either side of a predictably comfy defeat from a trip to Anfield, one in which they didn’t do anything so silly as take the lead. A plan they immediately and bafflingly abandoned at the Etihad, of all places. Did you learn nothing from Ipswich, guys? Come on.

15=) Leicester – 2pts
1 lead, 1 draw

Might well come to rue failing to close out a 2-0 lead at Crystal Palace, a lead that was cut to 2-1 almost immediately after their second goal before a cruelly late equaliser.

12=) Bournemouth – 2pts
2 leads, 1 win, 1 draw

Pegged back by Newcastle and denied a dramatic late winner by VAR at its most irritatingly, buzz-killingly fussy, but took care to avoid any such disappointment against Everton by very shrewdly only taking the lead in the 96th minute.

12=) Fulham – 2pts
2 leads, 1 win, 1 draw

Saw off Leicester safely enough but were pegged back in the dying moments by West Ham.

12=) Tottenham – 2pts
2 leads, 1 win, 1 draw

Never looked likely to take anything but all three points against Everton and should really have been out of sight at Leicester before Jamie Vardy rustled them so. Successive defeats to Newcastle and Arsenal have left them teetering on the crisis club precipice.

11) Chelsea – 2pts
3 leads, 2 wins, 1 draw

Gave Wolves a kicking in the end despite conceding not one but two equalisers along the way but couldn’t find a similar response when pegged back by Palace. Didn’t give Bournemouth much time to get back at them, which Everton will confirm was a sensible move.

10) Arsenal – 2pts
4 leads, 3 wins, 1 draw

Declan Rice’s red card set Arsenal down a path to their first dropped points of the season in a damaging draw with Brighton. Never looked in any real danger of being pegged back by Spurs in the NLD after scoring the most predictable goal in the history of all goals.

8=) Crystal Palace – 0 pts
0 leads

Can’t drop points from winning positions if you don’t get into any winning positions.

8=) Southampton – 0pts
0 leads

Any time you want to get involved, fellas, feel free.

7) West Ham – 0pts
1 lead, 1 win

Yet to take the lead in a home game this season, but the 2-0 win at Crystal Palace was impressive.

5=) Manchester United – 0pts
2 leads, 2 wins

That first lead, against Fulham on the opening Friday night, wasn’t particularly convincing. The latest success against Southampton absolutely was, and boy did Erik ten Hag need that.

5=) Brighton – 0pts
2 leads, 2 wins

Gave Everton what is now starting to look like a fairly standard Everton beating before just about emerging without any dropped points against Manchester United. Didn’t lead at the Emirates but did draw, and that is a very decent outcome for anyone there these days. Goalless draw with Ipswich a first real blip.

2=) Aston Villa – 0pts
3 leads, 3 wins

Were absolutely brilliant by this metric last season – a vital factor in securing fourth place, in fact – and have made a fine start this time around, most notably when rubbing yet more salt into Everton’s gaping wounds.

2=) Liverpool – 0pts
3 leads, 3 wins

Ipswich were ground down, Brentford airily dismissed and Man United torn to pieces. And then Forest happened, to the astonishment of all.

2=) Newcastle – 0pts
3 leads, 3 wins

Wins against Southampton and Spurs at St James’ Park to go with the come-from behind success against Wolves have made for a decent start. On the field at least.

1) Manchester City – 0pts
4 leads, 4 wins

Have gone behind twice before recording their inevitable wins, presumably just to feel alive.